Emergency Preparedness Atlas, Case Studies Series: North Carolina (Text Description)

Nursing Homes and Hospitals Serving the Resident Population

The map depicts the size and location of hospitals and nursing homes relative to the urban population. The analysis in this Atlas is based on 116 general medical and surgical hospitals and 418 nursing homes in North Carolina distributed over 98 counties. Camden and Tyrrell Counties are the only two counties in the State with neither a hospital nor a nursing home.

The most populated area in North Carolina is the Central Piedmont, the region between the eastern coastal plain and the mountains. Population density is lower in the mountainous western region and the coastal plain. Although the Central Piedmont has several large cities, a large proportion of North Carolina is rural. The major transportation routes of Interstate 40 and Interstate 85 link the largest urban areas of the State, and it is along these routes that many of the State's hospitals and nursing homes are found.

Both nursing homes and hospitals are found in all major urban areas in the State, with hospitals being close to nursing homes. The western mountains appear to be relatively well served with nursing home beds and several small hospitals. There are fewer nursing homes on the eastern coastal plain, particularly along the Outer Banks and the most easterly counties. This situation indicates that care may be difficult to access for the elderly population in these and other rural areas within the State.

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Major Cities in North Carolina

These maps show the three major urban areas in North Carolina's Piedmont in greater detail: the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area (the Triangle), the Winston-Salem-Greensboro-High Point area (the Triad), and the Charlotte metropolitan area. The Triangle region, in the central portion of the State, is home to Raleigh, the State capital. The Triad area, west of the Triangle, can be reached via Interstates 40 and 85. Charlotte, North Carolina's largest city with over 1.3 million residents in the metro area (2000 U.S. Census), is on the South Carolina border. These smaller city maps are useful for looking at the distribution of resources in areas with a high density of nursing homes and hospitals.

All three regions are heavily bedded and have several large hospitals. It is difficult to compare the three highlighted areas in North Carolina as several cities make up the Triad and Triangle regions, but these three areas are clearly the focal point of health care within the State. The Triangle in particular is home to several large hospitals, including several Level 1 trauma facilities.

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HAZMAT Response

The State of North Carolina is divided into seven HAZMAT Response regions consisting of contiguous counties. North Carolina refers to these regions as Regional Response Team (RRT) regions. The configuration of these HAZMAT regions does not appear to follow any other designated response region pattern. The regions rarely correspond with the Health Resources and Services Administration Bioterrorism (HRSA BT) planning regions or Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) boundaries.

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Trauma Coordination

Trauma services are coordinated by regional advisory committee (RAC) regions. RAC regions are made up of multiple counties that tend to be contiguous, with the exceptions, however, of Mid Carolina Trauma RAC and Duke RAC. North Carolina's trauma services regions are similar to its RRT regions, though there are significant differences from Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Emergency Management (EM) regions.

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Emergency Medical Services

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in North Carolina are organized around 12 regions, each made up of contiguous counties. The EMS regions follow Health Resources and Services Administration Bioterrorism (HRSA BT) planning region boundaries except for EMS Region 1. However, the boundaries of the EMS and Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) regions are quite different.

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Emergency Management

There are 12 Emergency Management (EM) regions. These regions are made up of contiguous counties except for Regions 1 and 2. The EM regions are not the same as the 12 EMS regions or the HRSA BT planning regions.

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Relative Facility Location by County

This map highlights counties containing nursing homes that are strategically located in rural areas with no hospital. Two coastal counties (Tyrell and Camden) have neither a hospital nor a nursing home. Sixteen counties in North Carolina have one or more nursing homes and no hospitals. Five of these counties are in the mountainous western portion of the State, and eight counties are in the eastern coastal plain; these areas are the most rural parts of the State.

However, all of the counties without hospitals border on counties with hospitals, suggesting that hospitals in those counties could be used for surge capacity. Six counties across the State have tertiary care hospitals. Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville serves the eastern part of the State. Mission Hospitals in Asheville is the regional referral center for the western mountain region, and the other hospitals are located in the major urban centers of the Central Piedmont.

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Relative Facility Location and Red Cross Chapters

This map looks at counties with nursing homes and no hospitals and Red Cross chapters operating in North Carolina. There are 52 Red Cross chapters in North Carolina with many covering single counties. Three counties (Guilford, Randolph, and Davidson) are jointly served by two Red Cross chapters. These counties contain the Winston-Salem-Greensboro-High Point metropolitan area.

All of the Red Cross chapters containing counties with a nursing home and no hospital are multicounty chapters. This may pose special challenges to response and mitigation activities.

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EMS Region 1

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the distribution of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 1, a generally rural area with a relatively high proportion of people older than 65. This region has 9 hospitals and 31 nursing homes. Each county in this EMS region has a nursing home, and all but two (Northampton and Warren Counties) have hospitals. Nash County has the most hospital beds and hospital admissions, while Wilson County is home to the most nursing home beds and fulltime registered nurses.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Edgecombe 1 127 4,441 13,979 103 4 317 172
Franklin 1 56 2,538 17,939 78 2 258 131
Granville 1 128 2,390 13,175 88 2 240 123
Halifax 2 208 8,300 37,482 166 5 345 181
Nash 1 304 14,697 60,074 418 5 499 302
Northampton 0 0 0 0 0 2 149 97
Person 1 110 2,545 15,957 73 2 200 118
Vance 1 102 5,522 33,924 120 3 232 153
Warren 0 0 0 0 0 1 140 97
Wilson 1 120 7,865 44,712 220 5 623 391

 

The population pyramid shows a bubble in the population between the ages of 30 and 54, suggesting that the elderly population will grow in the next 10 years. However, the population as a whole is fairly stable in terms of growth.

EMS Region 1 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 24488 23418
5 to 9 years 26077 24591
10 to 14 years 25043 24034
15 to 19 years 23454 22157
20 to 24 years 21949 21784
25 to 29 years 25328 25680
30 to 34 years 27268 27494
35 to 39 years 29590 30347
40 to 44 years 28635 29780
45 to 49 years 25943 27452
50 to 54 years 24279 25398
55 to 59 years 18584 20216
60 to 64 years 15300 16924
65 to 69 years 12530 15092
70 to 74 years 10870 14420
75 to 79 years 7933 12192
80 to 84 years 4343 8585
85 years and over 2816 8360

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EMS Region 2

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the distribution of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 2, which has 8 hospitals and 20 nursing homes. This region contains the State's two counties (Tyrell and Camden) that have neither a nursing home nor a hospital. Pitt County Memorial Hospital (home of East Carolina University's Medical School) is a tertiary care hospital that functions as the regional hospital for the eastern portion of North Carolina. Pitt County has 720 of the region's 1,156 hospital beds (62 percent) and 527 of the region's 1,935 nursing home beds (27 percent).

These figures show that nursing homes are spread more evenly across the region than hospitals. The geography of the region, with many miles of coastline and barrier islands, makes transportation and accessibility difficult in an emergency; flooding is also a major problem for this area. EMS Region 2 has a high proportion of elderly individuals living in mostly rural areas.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Bertie 1 6 334 6,022 24 2 160 77
Camden 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chowan 1 82 2,254 11,255 84 2 170 98
Currituck 0 0 0 0 0 1 100 57
Dare 1 19 1,237 22,268 65 1 126 21
Gates 0 0 0 0 0 1 70 35
Hertford 1 105 4,882 18,208 158 2 161 88
Martin 1 49 1,946 8,489 49 1 154 73
Pasquotank 1 150 8,282 28,831 230 2 266 178
Perquimans 0 0 0 0 0 1 78 32
Pitt 1 720 33,752 63,384 1,332 6 527 345
Tyrrell 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Washington 1 25 755 4,997 29 1 123 71

 

The population pyramid shows little growth. A small bubble between the ages of 35 and 55 indicates an increase in the number of elderly persons over the next 10 years.

EMS Region 2 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 10767 10342
5 to 9 years 11852 11472
10 to 14 years 12821 12172
15 to 19 years 13119 13740
20 to 24 years 13479 14352
25 to 29 years 11278 11414
30 to 34 years 11027 11734
35 to 39 years 12449 13538
40 to 44 years 13173 14214
45 to 49 years 12064 12714
50 to 54 years 10465 11247
55 to 59 years 8336 8946
60 to 64 years 6800 7763
65 to 69 years 5862 7090
70 to 74 years 4969 6690
75 to 79 years 3716 5541
80 to 84 years 2035 3942
85 years and over 1234 3629

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EMS Region 3

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the distribution of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 3, which has 7 hospitals and 22 nursing homes. The region consists of mostly coastal counties and includes the Outer Banks. The region has a high proportion of elderly residents and is significantly rural. Accessibility is an issue in the region, with flooding a primary concern. There are no hospitals in the most easterly counties of the region, although all these counties have nursing homes.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Beaufort 2 137 4,916 26,189 157 3 300 181
Carteret 1 221 7,004 25,316 197 5 394 186
Craven 2 307 16,800 62,057 510 5 478 231
Greene 0 0 0 0 0 1 115 72
Hyde 0 0 0 0 0 1 80 40
Lenoir 1 206 11,285 36,954 158 3 351 166
Pamlico 0 0 0 0 0 1 96 42
Wayne 1 256 12,128 43,258 269 3 456 276

 

The population pyramid has a small bubble between the ages of 35 and 55, indicating growth of the elderly population over the next 10 years. The shape of the pyramid indicates slow population growth in general. The size of the population in each age group is relatively consistent until age 55, when it starts to decline due to mortality.

EMS Region 3 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 13621 12775
5 to 9 years 14310 13301
10 to 14 years 14256 13627
15 to 19 years 13968 13025
20 to 24 years 15637 12167
25 to 29 years 13876 12543
30 to 34 years 13406 12752
35 to 39 years 15589 15509
40 to 44 years 15547 16248
45 to 49 years 14232 15136
50 to 54 years 13135 13795
55 to 59 years 10212 11432
60 to 64 years 9010 10242
65 to 69 years 8115 9512
70 to 74 years 6902 8553
75 to 79 years 4685 6993
80 to 84 years 2497 4524
85 years and over 1285 4071

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EMS Region 4

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the distribution of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 4, which has 8 hospitals and 24 nursing homes. This coastal region includes the port city of Wilmington.

A large number of the region's nursing homes are in or around Wilmington, which also has the largest hospital in the area. Onslow County's population has a low relative percentage of elderly persons due to the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. The region's other counties appear to have a relatively high proportion of elderly persons, as is often the case in rural areas. Except for Jones County, each county in the region has a hospital with a nursing home close to the hospital facility. Jones County is bordered by four counties with hospitals and has a nursing home.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Brunswick 2 160 5,043 27,082 143 4 433 233
Columbus 1 117 6,188 26,835 151 3 323 151
Duplin 1 89 3,568 14,602 100 4 252 109
Jones 0 0 0 0 0 1 80 46
New Hanover 1 644 33,217 83,961 1,046 7 799 514
Onslow 2 250 14,130 67,931 500 2 359 141
Pender 1 86 1,126 11,144 50 3 253 191

 

The population pyramid shows a small bubble aged 35–55, with a consistent number of young people. This indicates a steady population size, although the number of elderly persons is expected to rise in the next 10 years. One noticeable spike in the population pyramid, an unusually large male population aged 20–24, is due to the Marine Corps base and should have little impact on the future aging population as these residents are temporary.

EMS Region 4 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 18619 18127
5 to 9 years 18098 17258
10 to 14 years 17754 17226
15 to 19 years 21280 18072
20 to 24 years 33814 20687
25 to 29 years 21691 18493
30 to 34 years 18596 18224
35 to 39 years 20177 20223
40 to 44 years 18868 19621
45 to 49 years 17121 18373
50 to 54 years 15581 16689
55 to 59 years 12997 14362
60 to 64 years 11099 12347
65 to 69 years 9657 11056
70 to 74 years 7839 9209
75 to 79 years 5331 7420
80 to 84 years 2679 4855
85 years and over 1425 4212

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EMS Region 5

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the distribution of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 5, which has 12 hospitals and 66 nursing homes. This region is home to the UNC Hospital System. There are also clusters of hospitals in the cities of Durham and Raleigh. There are 23 nursing homes in Greensboro (Guilford County), and all hospitals have nursing homes close by. The accessibility of the nursing homes and hospitals is increased by the many major roads in the area. Region 5's population pyramid is very unbalanced.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Alamance 1 139 10,445 45,560 304 7 848 496
Caswell 0 0 0 0 0 1 37 63
Chatham 1 75 732 10,367 40 2 290 137
Durham 2 992 51,874 107,495 1,650 10 1,284 673
Guilford 3 1,741 61,039 164,091 2,276 23 2,391 1,590
Orange 1 670 29,129 42,243 1,346 4 383 218
Wake 4 1,523 72,372 226,416 2,782 19 1,806 3,069

 

There is a large bubble between the ages of 20 and 55 due to the three major universities (North Carolina State, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Duke University) and the presence of Research Triangle Park, which provides jobs in the pharmaceutical and technology industries. Wake, Durham, and Orange Counties have a low proportion of elderly persons. Although many of the young people living in the region will move when they complete their schooling, the number of people reaching retirement age in the next 10 years will increase the number of elderly persons significantly.

 

EMS Region 5 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 54670 52312
5 to 9 years 56552 53646
10 to 14 years 53784 52351
15 to 19 years 54794 55104
20 to 24 years 65314 66823
25 to 29 years 68084 65746
30 to 34 years 67290 66606
35 to 39 years 68144 69577
40 to 44 years 63708 66374
45 to 49 years 55610 59696
50 to 54 years 47537 51091
55 to 59 years 34268 36387
60 to 64 years 24388 27802
65 to 69 years 20074 24158
70 to 74 years 16883 23041
75 to 79 years 12811 19884
80 to 84 years 7300 14071
85 years and over 4629 13556

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EMS Region 6

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the location of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 6, which has 8 hospitals and 24 nursing homes. All of the hospitals have nursing homes relatively close by for use as overflow during emergencies.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Anson 1 125 1,921 13,207 55 2 161 119
Lee 1 137 5,889 31,164 149 2 234 75
Montgomery 1 55 862 4,932 40 2 141 100
Moore 1 362 19,736 52,572 510 7 740 395
Randolph 1 106 6,963 38,793 164 5 672 312
Richmond 2 205 8,224 27,548 169 3 274 176
Scotland 1 159 5,826 23,408 182 3 207 145

 

This relatively rural area in the Central Piedmont has a high proportion of elderly residents. The base of the population pyramid suggests that the natural population growth (not including immigration) of the region is slow. However, there is a bubble in the population pyramid between the ages of 30 and 55, indicating an increase in the number of elderly people in EMS Region 6 within the next 10 years.

EMS Region 6 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 13131 12628
5 to 9 years 14114 13303
10 to 14 years 14217 13470
15 to 19 years 13415 12349
20 to 24 years 11909 10914
25 to 29 years 13101 12617
30 to 34 years 13894 13410
35 to 39 years 15023 14860
40 to 44 years 14763 14824
45 to 49 years 13282 13809
50 to 54 years 12472 12926
55 to 59 years 10032 11092
60 to 64 years 8114 9018
65 to 69 years 7330 8487
70 to 74 years 6416 8212
75 to 79 years 4853 7220
80 to 84 years 2789 4965
85 years and over 1604 4359

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EMS Region 7

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the distribution of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 7, which has 12 hospitals and 40 nursing homes. All of the hospitals in the region have nursing homes close by except for the hospital in Davie County, which appears to be very isolated and has no major transportation routes close by. Forsyth County (which includes Winston-Salem) appears to be the primary provider of health care in the region with 1,761 hospital and 1,412 nursing home beds.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Davidson 2 163 8,214 38,452 235 9 750 480
Davie 1 25 341 12,089 13 3 186 124
Forsyth 3 1,761 73,935 141,692 2,730 12 1,412 912
Rockingham 2 394 10,472 53,450 260 5 555 355
Stokes 1 93 1,195 7,229 54 4 322 176
Surry 2 333 7,809 49,098 248 5 472 320
Yadkin 1 22 256 6,958 14 2 223 121

 

The population pyramid shows a large bubble between the ages of 25 and 55. This suggests that the number of elderly persons in the region will increase over the next 10 years. The lower end of the population pyramid indicates a slow increase in natural population growth, with more children between the ages of 5 and 9 than those under age 5.

EMS Region 7 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 24488 23418
5 to 9 years 26077 24591
10 to 14 years 25043 24034
15 to 19 years 23454 22157
20 to 24 years 21949 21784
25 to 29 years 25328 25680
30 to 34 years 27268 27494
35 to 39 years 29590 30347
40 to 44 years 28635 29780
45 to 49 years 25943 27452
50 to 54 years 24279 25398
55 to 59 years 18584 20216
60 to 64 years 15300 16924
65 to 69 years 12530 15092
70 to 74 years 10870 14420
75 to 79 years 7933 12192
80 to 84 years 4343 8585
85 years and over 2816 8360

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EMS Region 8

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the location of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 8, which has 8 hospitals and 31 nursing homes. Only one county, Hoke in the southwest, has no hospital; however, it has a large nursing home facility (132 beds). Cumberland County, with the greatest number of hospital and nursing home beds, is home to Fayetteville and Fort Bragg, a large Army and Special Forces base responsible for the small proportion of elderly persons in the county and its westerly surrounding census tracts.

Interstate 95 runs through Region 8, and many nursing homes and hospitals are located very close to this major artery. Along I-95, the proportion of elderly residents appears to be quite high. This density falls off farther from I-95, but picks up again in more rural areas.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Bladen 1 58 1,613 15,549 48 3 194 113
Cumberland 2 724 37,428 155,476 1,118 10 1,119 679
Harnett 2 120 7,085 36,631 166 4 438 185
Hoke 0 0 0 0 0 1 132 93
Johnston 1 160 7,390 43,634 215 4 550 297
Robeson 1 429 14,813 61,376 370 6 528 324
Sampson 1 146 3,923 23,810 131 3 372 200

 

The population pyramid for the region indicates a growing population; there are more children under 5 than in any other juvenile age range. A significant bubble appears between the ages of 20 and 55. The lower end of this increase can be attributed to Fort Bragg's temporary population (of young males). The upper end of this bubble will lead to increased numbers of elderly persons in the next 10 years.

 

EMS Region 8 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 31178 29622
5 to 9 years 30914 29432
10 to 14 years 28870 28163
15 to 19 years 28649 26298
20 to 24 years 35814 27631
25 to 29 years 33640 30587
30 to 34 years 31324 29934
35 to 39 years 31477 31072
40 to 44 years 27838 28995
45 to 49 years 24066 25375
50 to 54 years 20698 21929
55 to 59 years 15575 17146
60 to 64 years 12662 14480
65 to 69 years 10303 12646
70 to 74 years 7984 10925
75 to 79 years 5450 9089
80 to 84 years 2852 5978
85 years and over 1749 5032

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EMS Region 9

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the location of the population aged 65 or older for EMS Region 9, which shows a higher than usual proportion of elderly residents. This very mountainous region, bordering Tennessee and Georgia, has 11 hospitals and 48 nursing homes.

The largest hospital (with more than twice as many beds as any other hospital in the region) and 16 of the nursing homes are in Buncombe County, where the city of Asheville is located. The apparent trend is that the areas farthest west in the region have fewer hospitals and nursing homes, but a larger percentage of elderly residents. All hospitals in the region have at least one nursing home close by, but the situation in the western section of the region indicates potential care problems in the event of an emergency.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Buncombe 1 721 34,932 86,376 1,288 16 1,565 876
Cherokee 1 184 3,075 11,940 99 2 210 135
Clay 0 0 0 0 0 1 80 44
Graham 0 0 0 0 0 1 80 41
Haywood 1 113 5,824 24,847 168 6 475 268
Henderson 2 279 14,088 44,027 377 10 932 512
Jackson 1 200 5,053 16,611 144 3 208 121
Macon 2 163 2,866 15,483 109 2 280 128
Madison 0 0 0 0 0 2 180 118
Swain 2 53 1,735 19,792 62 2 180 75
Transylvania 1 55 2,089 13,846 93 3 277 134

 

The population pyramid for this region shows a bubble between the ages of 25 and 55, suggesting that the number of elderly persons will increase over the next decade. The base of the pyramid shows slow natural population growth.

 

EMS Region 9 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 14556 13644
5 to 9 years 15617 14730
10 to 14 years 16241 15194
15 to 19 years 16580 15347
20 to 24 years 15176 14599
25 to 29 years 15602 15164
30 to 34 years 16593 16324
35 to 39 years 18102 18594
40 to 44 years 18486 19836
45 to 49 years 18124 19471
50 to 54 years 17578 19208
55 to 59 years 14617 16722
60 to 64 years 12746 14400
65 to 69 years 11693 13482
70 to 74 years 10511 13080
75 to 79 years 8264 11425
80 to 84 years 4908 7916
85 years and over 3233 7708

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EMS Region 10

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the distribution of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 10, which has 10 hospitals and 20 nursing homes. This mountainous region borders Tennessee and Virginia. Iredell County, somewhat isolated from the rest of the region, has one third of the region's nursing home beds and 43 percent of its hospital beds. This skews the health care landscape because transportation links to this area from the rest of the region are indirect.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Alleghany 1 46 1,091 5,442 35 1 90 40
Ashe 1 115 1,646 12,190 47 2 210 110
Avery 1 70 2,525 9,519 62 2 128 64
Iredell 3 443 22,166 90,616 872 7 653 400
Mitchell 1 40 2,161 13,820 62 1 127 64
Watauga 2 195 6,590 30,761 182 2 196 95
Wilkes 1 131 4,664 24,681 154 4 417 246
Yancey 0 0 0 0 0 1 140 74

 

The population pyramid shows population density for the region being relatively low. All of the counties except Yancey County have hospitals present, and of these only one does not have a nursing home near by. Coupled with its mountainous terrain, this region's limited transportation links suggest that emergency transportation and care might be difficult. Overall, the population pyramid for the region suggests an extremely slow natural growth rate, although a slight bubble between the ages of 35 and 55 indicates an increasingly aging population that will impact the region in the next 10 years.

 

EMS Region 10 Population by Sex and Age

 

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 9594 9047
5 to 9 years 10493 9777
10 to 14 years 10115 9895
15 to 19 years 11037 10524
20 to 24 years 12080 10898
25 to 29 years 10836 9941
30 to 34 years 11180 10418
35 to 39 years 12296 12272
40 to 44 years 12292 12039
45 to 49 years 11502 11455
50 to 54 years 10591 11020
55 to 59 years 8807 9170
60 to 64 years 7173 7863
65 to 69 years 6100 6964
70 to 74 years 5196 6184
75 to 79 years 3678 5351
80 to 84 years 2132 3771
85 years and over 1375 3610

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EMS Region 11

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the distribution of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 11, which has 11 hospitals and 32 nursing homes. The region is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and borders South Carolina. Hospitals are present in all of the region's counties except for Alexander County, which only has a large nursing home (183 beds). All of the hospitals have nursing homes relatively close by (except for a small hospital in Cleveland County), and these are all well linked by major transportation routes.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Alexander 0 0 0 0 0 1 183 101
Burke 2 468 10,868 54,983 291 5 531 359
Caldwell 1 100 4,199 29,449 118 4 400 241
Catawba 2 568 22,928 105,633 716 7 759 481
Cleveland 3 440 13,104 52,690 327 5 544 270
McDowell 1 65 2,542 15,898 105 2 250 109
Polk 1 55 1,969 8,389 71 3 202 135
Rutherford 1 143 5,825 33,051 175 5 420 274

The elderly population is relatively smaller in this region compared with the more mountainous EMS regions, but increases toward the western limits. A large bubble in the population pyramid between the ages of 25 and 55 indicates that the elderly population in the region will grow in the next 10 years. The base of the population pyramid shows slow overall growth.

 

 

EMS Region 11 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 18501 17399
5 to 9 years 19881 19039
10 to 14 years 19567 18709
15 to 19 years 18709 16706
20 to 24 years 17261 16040
25 to 29 years 19766 18897
30 to 34 years 21124 20106
35 to 39 years 22293 21733
40 to 44 years 21463 21430
45 to 49 years 19845 20359
50 to 54 years 18906 19598
55 to 59 years 15283 16073
60 to 64 years 12299 13493
65 to 69 years 10265 12343
70 to 74 years 8502 10897
75 to 79 years 6182 9711
80 to 84 years 3614 6788
85 years and over 2280 6450

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EMS Region 12

This map examines the size and location of nursing homes and hospitals relative to the distribution of the population aged 65 or older in EMS Region 12, which has 12 hospitals and 60 nursing homes. The region surrounds Charlotte, the most populous city in North Carolina. All of the region's counties have one hospital except for Mecklenburg County, where Charlotte is located, which has six. Mecklenburg County has a significantly lower percentage of elderly persons than other counties in the region, as Charlotte is urban and the rest of the region is more rural.

 

County Hospitals SNFs/NFs
# of Facilities Total Beds Annual Admissions Annual ER Visits FTE RNs # of Facilities Total Beds FTE RNs
Cabarrus 1 350 18,073 68,783 777 8 741 396
Gaston 1 362 21,234 72,464 526 10 970 589
Lincoln 1 87 3,537 27,131 101 3 320 158
Mecklenburg 6 1,900 96,358 337,794 3,880 22 2,622 1,799
Rowan 1 188 10,271 45,642 302 8 835 498
Stanly 1 119 6,306 29,137 167 4 406 267
Union 1 232 8,655 39,998 325 5 443 274

 

The population pyramid for the region shows a significant bubble between the ages of 25 and 55, implying growth in the number of elderly persons in the next 10 years. The population pyramid also includes a large percentage of children between the ages of 0 to 15, indicating that the population is experiencing natural population growth.

 

EMS Region 12 Population by Sex and Age

Age Males Females
Under 5 years 50736 48281
5 to 9 years 52237 49793
10 to 14 years 50036 47665
15 to 19 years 45642 42695
20 to 24 years 45969 44539
25 to 29 years 58021 56975
30 to 34 years 60530 58437
35 to 39 years 61934 61341
40 to 44 years 56962 57203
45 to 49 years 48268 50167
50 to 54 years 43096 44801
55 to 59 years 31663 33368
60 to 64 years 22893 25686
65 to 69 years 18823 22875
70 to 74 years 15485 21186
75 to 79 years 11789 18469
80 to 84 years 6476 12749
85 years and over 4059 11930

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